“I´m ready to become heavyweight champion,” Huck said. “I would not have taken the fight if I didn´t believe in myself. Povetkin is good, but I can beat him. We once did sparring together and he has bad memories of me. On Saturday I will be the new champ. He is going down!”

While Huck tried his best to provoke Povetkin, the 32-year-old Russian remained calm. “At first I was surprised about Huck´s challenge because he has never fought at heavyweight before. But I am happy to defend my title against anybody out there. I am in great shape and I will win.”

Huck´s coach Ulli Wegner expects a hard-fought battle. “This will be an exciting fight,” he said. “It´s time to bring back some excitement to the heavyweight division and Saturday will be the first step. We believe that Marco has a better stamina than Povetkin but we will find out about that in the ring.”

Said Povetkin´s coach Alexander Zimin. “We had a very good preparation. Alexander has improved physically, I would say he is 20 to 30% stronger than in his last fight. But the best is yet to come. He has got great potential.”

Promoter Kalle Sauerland said the clash will be a real treat for fans. “This is what the heavyweight division needs,” he stated. “It will be very exciting. Both are fast, aggressive, strong and full of confidence. And both do not always have the best defence. It´s going to be spectacular.”